I Am The Swarm

“Flares!”

The soldiers quickly disabled their night-vision devices and switched to normal mode. Two shells fired skyward, bursting into twin miniature suns that bathed the cavern in blinding light, turning the darkness into a blinding white day.

The sudden illumination revealed a horrifying sight. A dense, black swarm of bat-like creatures formed an impenetrable wall, surging toward them like an unstoppable tide.

Fear rippled through the team.

“Attack!” Hasmu shouted, his voice cutting through the tension as the swarm closed within 100 meters.

His order jolted the stunned soldiers back into action. Years of combat training snapped them out of their fear, and they swiftly engaged.

Red energy beams streaked through the air, intermingling with the flares’ bright white glow. Shadows of soldiers and bat-like creatures danced chaotically on the cavern walls like a macabre ballet.

“Switch to explosive mode!”

The Riken firearms had two firing modes. The default mode emitted concentrated energy beams capable of penetrating even the thick armor of Bull Demons. The explosive mode, however, discharged unstable energy that detonated upon impact, creating small shockwaves. It was particularly effective against swarm assaults like this one.

This mode came at the cost of the weapon’s lifespan, but in a life-or-death situation, none of the soldiers hesitated to make the trade-off.

In normal mode, the energy beams often pierced through the frontmost bats and continued through two or three more before dissipating. However, the bats’ massive size—each over two meters long—meant that such wounds rarely proved fatal unless vital organs like the head or heart were hit. As a result, the swarm’s advance remained relentless, closing the distance to just 50 meters within seconds.

Switching to explosive mode significantly improved their effectiveness. The blasts not only caused greater damage but also disrupted the bats’ formation, pushing them back slightly.

Despite this, the swarm pressed on undeterred, their numbers seemingly endless. Soon, they were within 40 meters.

“Shock grenades! Brace for impact!” Hasmu commanded as he fired his weapon. These creatures, adapted to survive in sunless caves, likely relied on senses other than sight.

On their homeworld, the Riken had dealt with similar creatures. As a seasoned warrior, Hasmu instinctively deployed an effective countermeasure.

Several cylindrical “cans” were hurled into the air. As they detonated, the soldiers activated the sound-blocking systems integrated into their helmets.

The ensuing explosions produced an earsplitting roar that echoed throughout the cavern, amplified several times by the enclosed space. Stalactites rained down from the ceiling, and the entire passage seemed to tremble.

Even with the helmet’s protections, Hasmu’s head swam from the intense noise. He shook it off, muttering to himself that they’d come dangerously close to becoming victims of their own tactic.

Looking at the aftermath, however, he felt the risk had been worth it.

The bats flailed wildly like headless flies, their formation shattered. The shock grenades had inflicted severe harm; dark red blood trickled from their ears and eyes.

“Finish them off!” Hasmu barked.

The team seized the opportunity, unleashing explosive energy beams that decimated the swarm. Corpses piled up, and the swarm retreated further. Yet suddenly, the bats regrouped, as if regaining their senses, and charged once more.

“What’s going on?” Hasmu growled. Creatures that relied on sound for navigation shouldn’t recover this quickly from a sonic attack. It was as if someone were providing them with vision and directing their actions.

“Angulo, figure it out!” Hasmu shouted.

A scout retreated to the backline, adjusting his helmet. Unlike the others, his helmet was larger, ringed with an array of sensors connected to a miniature computer. Each sensor was specialized for detecting specific phenomena.

Angulo rotated the sensors, scanning the area for any hidden threats. The process was slow due to the poor visibility and numerous obstacles.

“Hurry up, Angulo!”

“Working as fast as I can!” he snapped, though his hands moved even quicker under pressure.

“We can’t hold them much longer! Bring out the flamethrowers!” Hasmu yelled.

Two burly soldiers, each equipped with a flamethrower, stepped forward. Setting aside their rifles, they adjusted their equipment before unleashing twin columns of fire, each nearly two meters wide.

The flamethrowers discharged a highly flammable, adhesive substance that clung to whatever it touched. Once ignited, the only way to extinguish it was to sever the affected area entirely—a nearly impossible task in the chaos of battle.

The bats, despite their size and ferocity, were still flesh-and-blood creatures. They burned easily, and the flames spread rapidly among them as they flew into one another in panic.

In moments, the swarm suffered heavy casualties.

However, the flamethrowers had significant drawbacks. The fuel was heavy and difficult to carry, limiting their operational time. Only a reinforced squad like Hasmu’s 50-man team had access to such weapons; smaller ten-man units couldn’t afford the luxury.

Moreover, the burning fuel consumed large amounts of oxygen and produced toxic fumes. While the helmets’ filtration systems handled the toxins easily, the dwindling oxygen posed a serious problem. Already deep underground, the air was thin to begin with.

Each soldier carried only two small oxygen canisters for emergencies, which wouldn’t last long. Under normal circumstances, they relied on breathing the planet’s atmosphere, which, despite its toxicity, was easily filtered by their helmets.

“Cease fire!” Hasmu ordered as the bats’ assault faltered. If the flamethrowers continued for another two minutes, the entire squad could suffocate.

“Captain, I’ve found it! There’s an abnormal magnetic field behind the column to the upper left!” Angulo suddenly shouted.

Elite training left no room for hesitation. The instant Angulo reported the location, the team unleashed a barrage of explosive beams, engulfing the indicated area in a blaze of destruction.

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